Spee Is Stopped – Preparations For War…
"Another set of misses" Macchi reported.
"Well you try firing at a moving target at extreme range" Tama spat out. Akeno and Mashiro exchanged looks but didn't say a word as they gave orders.
"I have heard from the island leader – they report they are evacuating their civilians and arming their defences" Tsugu said.
"That is just enough to shoot back at pirates – nothing this big" Mashiro noted.
"Tama, increase firing rate. Mei, standby for a torpedo attack"
"We're outside the range"
"I know – use training torpedoes for the salvo… We need to see if they will turn"
"And turning will make them slow down" Mei caught on to Akeno's idea.
"She's slowing down slightly already" Mashiro said. "We're well inside the range of her main guns and inside the range of her secondary weapons in about two minutes"
"Maybe they plan to get a cleaner shot at a closer range" Mina suggested. "It is our school's standard tactic after all"
"Hmm…" Akeno made a difficult decision for herself, her crew and her ship. "Maintain speed – steer for the Spee and lock everything we have on her stern and try to disable her – fire when you get full tubes and barrels"
"Captain, might I suggest getting the lookouts and deck crew inside?" Mashiro asked.
"Oh, good idea…"
"The Spee is slowing a bit more and is turning" Macchi called out from high above.
"Apart from the senior officers, clear the Bridge" Akeno ordered. "Mina, you too"
"I'd rather stay, Captain"
"Fine – just stay at the back then" and Akeno muttered something that caused Mashiro to blush.
"We are in range of her secondary armament" the girl said.
"Turrets on the Spee are turning – she's fired!"
"Everybody get down!" Akeno yelled as the shells hit the Harekaze's deck and tore great holes in her.
"Orders to the Helm…?" Rin had not taken cover as the others had and had remained upright at the wheel.
"Are we in torpedo range?"
"I think so… Range finder has been smashed" Mei said.
"Tsugu, use the Radar - what is our range to the Spee?"
"Five and a half miles – closing fast"
"Mei, can you fire the torpedoes manually?" Akeno asked.
"Yeah, but with no aiming ability there's no way to target correctly"
"I'll do it… Give me a radio and a big stick – we'll do this the old fashioned way" Mina said.
"You sure?"
"Yep"
"Alright… Be careful. Mei, be ready to fire the torpedoes from the tubes manually when Mina shouts" Akeno ordered. "Rin, starboard 10… Bring us broadside to the Spee"
"Starboard 10… Course 143"
"Bridge, Engine Room"
"Go ahead"
"We're getting some major damage warnings here… The engines are starting to melt" Maron said.
"Can you keep the speed up?"
"For another three minutes"
"Alright, standby to come to a full stop"
"Aye"
"Mashiro, are the Skippers ready for launch?"
"Yes… But I don't see what good they will do…"
"Watch" Akeno gave off a smile.
"This is Mina, I am in position. Torpedo Officer, be ready to fire the torpedoes one tube at a time"
"Sure" Mei replied and passed on the order to the launcher crew. All while this was happening, Tama was laying on good amounts of fire but it was not enough against the hull of the Spee but Akeno had a plan to do something about it.
"Fire!" shouted Mina.
"Fire torpedoes one by one" Mei relayed the order.
"Launch the Skippers" Akeno demanded. "Tsugu, its all yours"
"Aye, Aye"
"What are you doing?" Mashiro asked as she watched the Skippers head towards the Spee.
"Back up plan" was all that Akeno said in reply. Mei's torpedoes, meanwhile had finished their run and impacted on the propeller shafts reducing the speed to around cruising. "All stop on the engines… Maron, shut them down"
"Aye, Aye"
"Captain…?"
"Shiro, I knew the torpedoes and shells would not do as much damage as we had hoped – so I had Maron load the two Skippers with explosives. Tsugu is guiding them to their target of the prop shafts so they can be fully disabled" and at that moment the two Skippers hit and finally knocked out the engines on the Spee.
"That was too easy" Mashiro said. "Kouko, damage report!"
"Turret 3 is out of action, shell damage to pretty much everywhere on the upper deck, fire in some of the storage compartments, fresh water tanks 1 and 3 are damage and leaking… Captain, we're badly damaged and taken on water"
"Very well…" Akeno looked at the crippled Spee and sighed. "Prepare a boarding party and send them over in the boats"
"TORPEDOES IN THE WATER" Macchi shouted from high above them.
"Hard to port – all ahead flank!" Akeno snapped the orders but the reply from Maron in the engine room foretold disaster.
"Both engines shut down – can't get them started for at least five minutes"
"Torpedoes sound like Spee's biggest ones" Kaede called out.
"If that's the case" Mina said, "They will open up the area they hit with a huge explosion"
"All hands, brace for impact – evacuate port side" Mashiro sounded through the intercom system.
"Where will they hit?"
"Aft" Macchi said.
"Maron, get your people out of there!" but Akeno's words came too late as two torpedoes hit with a deafening explosion and a cacophony of alarms, shouting and screaming.
"Captain, flooding in all compartments around the Engine Room" Kouko said as she stuck her head around the rear Bridge bulkhead.
"Engine Room, Bridge. Engine Room, Bridge" Akeno called down but there was no reply. "Mashiro, take whatever crewmembers you can find and assess the damage down there – organise damage control"
"Aye, Ma'am" Mashiro was surprised by the use of her full first name. She recovered quickly and took Mei and Mina with her.
"Tama, can you still target the Spee?"
"Yes"
"Then listen carefully… I want you to target the torpedo launchers and the turrets where the guns join them"
"Aye"
"Fire live ammo at them – I want both systems disabled"
"Aye" Tama bent down to issue orders and, a few minutes later, the Admiral Graf Spee was defenceless and a smoking vessel – the gunnery chief having taken her orders to the extreme end.
"Tsugu, radio them and order them to surrender" Akeno said.
"I've been trying, but no reply" came the quick reply.
"Captain, I have the Deputy Captain on the phone" Rin said.
"Shiro, what is the damage?" Akeno took it from Rin's hand.
"We've got huge holes in the hull, but the pumps are taking care of it for now. Portside engine is smashed to bits and Maron doesn't think we've got a chance to fix it this side of Christmas. The fires have all been extinguished, but we've lost a lot of water and fuel from damaged tanks. We've used up all of our torpedoes and some of our rationed food has been spoilt" Mashiro noted.
"Cas… Casualties?" Akeno worried.
"I don't have a report on that, but Minami might well be too busy"
"Okay, have Maron patch up as much of the outside damage as possible" Akeno sighed. "Get a report on injuries as soon as possible and find out if the Doctor has that cure ready… Send Mina to the Bridge. Akeno out" and she replaced the handset. "Tama, put together a boarding party of our best people and take the boats"
"Aye" and Tama left.
"Rin, set your rudder to midships. If you hear you get engine power, however slight it might be, close on the Spee" Akeno gestured at the slightly smoking ship. "I'm going to be back in five minutes"
#
"Right then, these are your orders" Akeno spoke a little later to the boarding parties. "The team under Shiro will board at the stern and move down and forwards on the port side. The team under Kaede will move down and aft on the starboard side. Your aim is to either give the crew of the Spee the injections or knock them out and put them in handcuffs" and Mina started.
"That's cruel"
"As cruel as them firing on innocent people?" Akeno shot back. "Mina, I know you are worried about your crew and I understand that… My point, though, is that your ship just about tore mine to pieces and seriously injured some of my crew! Do you know how hard it was for me not to tell Tama to switch to live rounds and smash the upper decks…?" Akeno felt sorry for the German girl, but she was only telling the truth. "Right, away boarding parties – everyone else continue with damage control" and she watched as the boats were loaded and sent over. Walking back to the Bridge, Rin was still holding the Wheel but talking to somebody on the phone.
"Captain, the Chief Engineer says she's managed to get the starboard engine working, but its jammed in slow ahead"
"Tell her fine and to concentrate on shoring up the hull damage" and Rin nodded and relayed the instructions before putting the handset back on its hook.
"We're really damaged now, aren't we?"
"Yeah – we're lucky enough to be floating for now" Akeno sighed. "How long would it take for us to go on a direct course back to the island at slow ahead?"
"Impossible… We don't have the fuel to get there"
"How much do we have left?"
"About ten tons… Give or take a spoonful"
"Tell Maron to refill the tanks using the mixed up fuel we took from the island and give me a report on that. Find out from Budgeting and the Galley how much food we actually have saved"
"Hmm – Engine Room, Bridge"
"Engine Room"
"Maron, can you spare somebody to come up to the bow and rig a cable for towing?"
"I read you… I'll come and do it myself"
"Tsugu, send a message to the Deputy Captain and ask her to check out from Mina what her ship does for a tow. Rin, go and get some sleep – that's an order"
"No… Captain, somebody has to be here to man the Bridge with you. Everybody else is either curing the Spee's crew or trying to do as much repair work as possible"
"Do I have to get somebody to drag you to your cabin?" and Rin drew herself up to as much of her height as possible.
"I would like to see you try" and there was a moment of silence before they both burst into giggles.
"Stay then" Akeno shrugged. "Close the Spee when you can… I'm going to the Map room to get a bit of sleep" referring to the small cot that was set up for any of the Bridge crew to use if they were doing a double shift – the argument being that they were only three seconds away in the first place if anybody used it.
#
"The good news is that the Spee has been secured and Mina has a steaming party to get the ship underway" Mashiro said to Akeno several hours later. "The bad news is that there is a Blue Mermaid task force heading this way and will be here in around three hours"
"Then lets get the tow lines set up and get us out of here" Akeno rubbed her eyes from the tiredness she was feeling. "How much food do we have left?"
"Three days… We left a lot of it at the island, but intercepted reports indicate they just left everything when my sister returned there"
"Then we'll go back there and hope the drydock is still intact – the ship needs major repairs"
"I know, Captain, but we're only school girls… This is getting to be damage we're not able to repair. As it is, we're stuck with one engine that is only good for half speed"
"Better then nothing" Akeno shrugged. "Signal Mina to rig for the tow and we'll get underway"
"Aye, Aye, Captain" and Mashiro turned to walk away. As she was about to leave, she looked back over her shoulder. "Captain?"
"Yes?"
"You did good"
#
"You wanted to see me" Akeno said as she sat in her cabin with Kouko perched on the one chair in the room.
"I'd like permission to transfer to Mina's ship… At least until the island"
"You realise this might cause tales to be made?"
"I know, but I've grown close to Mina over the last few days and weeks… I want to spend as much time as possible with her" Kouko replied with a shaky voice.
"I think that most of the crew already knows, but you are aware that I have to put this in the log" Akeno shook her head. "If the school was in another district, then maybe there was something to be done – but you know what the law is"
"I know… I knew what I was doing by coming out in public to the rest of the crew, but I can't pretend to be somebody I am not. Aren't you the same with the Musashi's captain?"
"Moeka…? No – we just share a close bond that goes beyond friendship and beyond family" Akeno signed a piece of paper and handed it to Kouko. "These are orders transferring you to the Admiral Graf Spee under Acting Captain Friedeburg until we reach Liberty Island. You will act as liaison between us and them due to the language difficulties between our two ships. When we get into the drydock, I will speak to Mina or her Captain and work something else out for the future. You love her a lot, don't you?"
"I do… I have always known I have liked girls compared to boys, but never found a girl I was interested in. During the battle against Mina's ship, I froze a few times because I feared she was in danger and might be injured or even killed" Kouko burst into tears and Akeno took a moment before calling Minami away from Sickbay to give Kouko a light sedative to calm her and give her some rest for an hour.
"Captain to Bridge"
"Bridge, Mashiro here"
"Shiro, have one of the sea boats readied for launch and tell Mina she's about to get another passenger for a few days"
"Aye, Aye"
"Have you spoken to Maron yet?"
"No… She's busy with Gufran"
"Well tell her to come to my cabin"
"Captain, Maron is busy with Gufran"
"I see…" Akeno knew that sex happened between teenagers, but she never thought Maron was interested in sex. "Well I hope they are being quiet"
"We had a report from the Spee's Sonar Operator that she could hear the pair of them"
"REALLY?"
"Just about" Mashiro was heard to be laughing. "Is the boat needed now?"
"In an hour… It can bring back some of the supplies Mina is giving us"
"Aye… Bridge out"
"You wanted me?" Minami knocked and opened the cabin door. Akeno simply gestured at the quietly sobbing Kouko and the Doctor just nodded and stepped over to deal with the problem.
"Like I called, just something to give her an hour's rest" Akeno shrugged. "How are your wounded?"
"I've released some of them to their cabins, but a number of them have internal bruising and need better treatment than anything I can provide"
"What about transfer to the Spee?"
"They have about the same equipment as I do… Frankly, I'm surprised none of them are dead"
"Understood… Can you cope with it at the moment?"
"I can cope, but I can't treat it correctly due to damage and lack of supplies"
"Hopefully the base is still intact and you can find what you need there. Mina has agreed to follow us and help"
"Has her Captain not resumed command?" Minami sounded somewhat surprised.
"She's not come round from the injection you gave her, so Mina has assumed command in her place. Like I said, she has agreed to tow us to the island, complete repairs on both our ships and follow us in what we do"
"I don't think there is enough metal to repair the Harekaze. I mean no disrespect to it, but it is barely even a vessel at this point"
"I know, but I am not going to let the ship go without a fight" Akeno looked at the clock. "Minami, can you sort out Kouko and then go around the ship gathering the senior officers quietly…? Oh, better include Gufran too"
"Aye, Captain" Minami nodded out of courtesy. "If they ask why, what should I say?" and Akeno looked at the piece of paper handed to her by Tsugu.
"Tell them we're going to pay a courtesy call on another school ship"
# # # # #
"First of all, I will explain why Kouko is not here… She has requested a temporary transfer to the Spee to handle language problems with her crew. Now to the reason you are all here – Musashi has been sighted" Akeno allowed herself to indulge in the reactions of the others.
"Where?" Kaede asked quietly.
"On a direct course for Tokyo" Akeno replied. "The ship appears to be steaming at half ahead from the last four days worth of sightings. If she keeps that level of speed up, there is enough time for us to make repairs, do what we can for the port engine and steam at full speed for Tokyo"
"Even if the Spee's crew helped us, there is nothing that I could do with the port engine – the entire engine room is smashed" Maron said. "The rest of the repairs… If we worked around the clock and only had a few hours sleep, I think that we could get the hull damage patched up. Our problem, though, is the fuel…"
"How much do we have?" Mashiro enquired.
"About ten tons. I could make that last longer by shutting down the starboard engine, but not even the mixed up fuel from the Spee would work" Maron shook her head. "We're dead in the water"
"Maybe not" Gufran spoke quietly. He had spent the meeting writing on a pad and working out something that might just help them. "Maron, are the water systems still working?"
"Fresh water tanks are either damaged or destroyed"
"Okay, but is the recycling system operational?"
"I think"
"I'm losing you" Mei sighed.
"The recycling system on the Harekaze filters contaminated water to leave only drinking and cleaning water. The stuff it can't filter out is diverted into barrels that is stored for disposal later…" Gufran looked at his pad again. "Captain, Chief… It might be possible to reset the filtering system to filter out contaminants in the fuel from sea water and the heavier fuel from the Spee – leaving us with fuel to get the ship to the best place to stop Musashi"
"Maron – is it possible?"
"Its only a case of reprogramming" the girl replied, "So we can give it a go"
"Do it… I want everybody to help in the repairs except Minami and anyone qualified to help her. The only exception will be Tsugu and her relief to pass messages between us and the Spee… Or give us news about the Musashi and the Blue Mermaid Fleet"
#
Just short of the island, Akeno had insisted the tow line be removed and the Harekaze enter port under her own steam. Boats had been sent ahead and reported back the dock and the facilities were still intact and engineering crews from both ships poured over the heavily damaged Harekaze and worked every possible day to get hull damage repaired, engines fixed and serviced, refuelling completed, injuries treated and supplies. All of the girls, plus Gufran worked around the clocked and, in what had to be a minor miracle, the port engine was made whole again by using spare parts from the Spee. The damaged hull plating was not thrown away but patched over with melted and beaten metal and welded into place as a double hull on advice from Gufran – his aim being that if there was a torpedo hit, there'd be little hull damage that would stop the destroyer. Mei and the torpedo crews had, using basic tools and a somewhat outdated manual, constructed torpedoes out of the training rounds they carried to use with just one drawback – they were all live. Tama had her people strip and service every barrel and examine every round for damage. They had increased the number of rounds by copying Mei's group and removing safety packages from the training rounds. Akeno was supervising the installation of new decking when Tsugu ran up to her and handed the Captain a piece of slightly crumpled paper. When it was read, Akeno's eyes widened, then narrowed and finally closed and stayed that way for several seconds.
"Tsugu, call all hands to the training and mess room – rig a radio link to the Spee and have Mina standing by" and Tsugu nodded and hurried off. Akeno looked at her before glancing at the paper in her hand…
Musashi taken over by hostile forces
She has increased speed and hostiles plan to fire on capital
No ships in range able to stop her in time
Please sink us
China, commanding Musashi
#
"I guess you are wondering why you are gathered here… We received a general call from Captain China aboard the Musashi, we don't know how, but she confirms the ship has been taken over by hostile forces. Whoever is controlling the ship has increased speed and they will arrive in range of Yokasuka and Tokyo within hours… The ships of the boys marine high school are deploying, but it will take time for them to get together and attack… We're the only ships that have a chance to stop it or at least try to buy time for some of the civilians to evacuate" Akeno looked over the faces of her crew – battle hardened before most of them had even had chance to finish their first training mission. "The senior officers, Mina and myself believe that there is a chance some or all of us will be killed or badly injured – so I am asking for a volunteer crew" and there was silence before a chair scraped on the deck and Rin stood up.
"Captain, will there be a lot of manoeuvres?"
"I expect so"
"Then you will need a good Navigator and Pilot… Where the Harekaze goes, its fate will be mine"
"If there are going to be injured people, I must stay to treat them" Minami said simply.
"What has happened is dishonourable to the name of peace and to the name of our school" Kaede rose majestically and bowed deeply to Akeno. "It is my duty to restore that honour… Captain, I, Kaede Marikouji, of the Marikouji family, most respectfully request permission to join this quest"
"There's no need to be formal about it. Kaede" Akeno blushed.
"There is every need… You have led us to many battles and come through them all – except where you was knocked out and injured" Maron stood and shrugged her shoulders. "A ship can not sail without her Chief Engineer" and, one by one, the girls all agreed to stay on the ship.
"Gufran?" Akeno looked over to where the Saudi teen had his feet up on a table.
"Well… You see, the way I see it is this – my orders where to observe battle tactics on the I-201 and then return to Yokasuka on one of your ships. As far as I am concerned, those orders remain valid and, if Musashi is in the way…" the boy rose slowly and carefully to his feet and stood at attention. "Gufran Saulman, reporting for duty, Ma'am"
"Thank you… All of you" Akeno clasped her hands and bowed her head in thanks before straightening. "Prepare to ca–" she was cut off by the sound of Kouko from the hatchway.
"Permission to come aboard?" she raised an eyebrow.
"I thought you would be on the Spee" Mashiro commented.
"My heart is telling me to be with Mina when we engage the Musashi, but my duty is to be with you on the Harekaze when we do. If we manage to win this fight and return home, I will be forced to leave because I am a lesbian"
"We can keep quiet about it" Rin looked hopeful.
"I wish we could, but you know what the regulations say" Kouko smiled sadly, "So the Captain has to inform the school when we get back home and I get thrown out. If that is the case, let me fight one good battle amongst my friends and family. If I am to be damned, let me damned for what I truly am" and Akeno made the point of walking over and shaking her hand – showing that she did not have any prejudices at all.
"Thanks…" she said. "All hands, prepare to cast off!" and they scrambled to their duty stations, cast off lines and to bring the engines up to readiness.
#
Three days – that is what they ended up with…
The Harekaze and the Spee both steamed towards the Japanese home islands as fast and as hard as their engines could pound the pistons. The power plants on both ships glowed from the dangerous amounts of speed they were being called upon to give – well beyond their intended emergency settings. Both ships ran near constant training for all departments in almost everything from a simple fire to the Bridge being destroyed and having to abandon ship. The girls on both ships, along with Gufran only left their stations to visit the bathroom and to have a three minute shower and change their uniforms. Akeno ordered, at one point, that the crew could do anything they wanted and that it was open season on the remaining stores – each girl could take what they wanted. Some of them ate until they were full and went to their cabins, others found a quiet spot to pray to their deities, Maron and Gufran went to Maron's quarters to spend time together, Kouko used the radio to talk to Mina and the rest simply sat and wondered what the dawn would bring them. When they got within two hours of the expected position of the Musashi, Akeno ordered the kitchen to be closed and the twins and Mikran to go to Sickbay to be used as Nurses for when the battle started and for the crew to go to Action Stations. On the Bridge of the Harekaze, there was absolute silence except for the occasional Helm order or some report being passed up from the lookouts or the Engine Room. Nobody was eager to get into another fight, but the entire crew was willing to sacrifice themselves and the ship to stop the Musashi and the evil that had taken her over. Tsugu had reported that ships they had passed by had reported their position, situation, course and speed – including the fact that the Admiral Graff Spee was with them.
"Bridge, Lookout" Macchi's voice made Akeno stir from her thoughts about what each person must be thinking.
"Bridge!" Akeno all but yelled from the tension.
"I see a single ship on the horizon… Yamato class with our school's markings – positive identity of Musashi" Macchi said.
"Tell the Spee that and that I intend to attack"
"Aye, Aye"
"Tsugu, break radio silence and send a message to the school"
"Break radio silence, aye… Standing by"
"Tama, are we in range of their guns?"
"Yes… Barely, but we are just in range"
"Very well – load a salvo of training rounds" Akeno ordered. Tama blinked at the order, but issued the orders and soon had a loaded forward battery.
"Captain, the Chief Gunnery Officer reports the forward turret is loaded and ready to fire – we are in range of the enemy target" and Akeno acknowledged the report and watched as the Musashi kept sailing on.
"Then for the honour of the ship… OPEN FIRE!" and the forward turret belched smoke and flame as it fire a pair of shells that raced through the air and stuck the Musashi causing a symbolic dint in her decking. "Tsugu, send the following message to the school 'This is the destroyer Harekaze reporting - We have engaged theBattleship Musashi'..." and they watched as the guns of the opposing ship turned towards them – aiming directly for the Bridge and opening fire.
"Spee has opened fire" called out Macchi from the lookout position.
"You know" Mashiro said, rooted to the spot in fascination as the shells sped towards them, "I never dreamt that I would die on a ship crewed by the lowest ranking people" and Akeno seemed to resign herself to her fate as she adjusted her cap and looked at Mashiro.
"How about side by side with friends?"
"Aye, Captain" Mashiro shook Akeno's hand and brought herself up to parade attention to salute her Commanding Officer for what she thought would be the final time as the shells completed the remaining distance, "I can do that"
"It was an honour to serve with you" Akeno replied, "With you all…" she added to the rest of them on the Bridge and through the voice pipe. Looking at the shells, she saw every one of them seconds from striking. "All hands brace for impact"
A/N:
And so the final battle begins… I hope that you have enjoyed the story so far and that the upcoming final battle will bring twists and turns that nobody expected.
As always, please leave your reviews and I will, where possible, try to reply to them
Regards
Pixel And Stephanie Forever